I make this statement based on the hundreds of reader comments published under media stories in French online news sites, the vast majority, highly negative towards the OQLF initiative.
Some of the reactions are downright funny, others scathingly sarcastic, with most readers offering the opinion that they don't see a need for a name change for Future Shop or Best Buy, as long as service is offered in French and as long as prices are reasonable.
The very first comment under a news story about the OQLF announcement on the Radio-Canada website probably said it all;
"There is a difference between protection and promotion of a language and the chronic antagonism towards Anglophones. The paranoids see assimilation everywhere and hide their desire for revenge behind the great virtue of the survival of French in North America."- Joseph Arthur LINKGilles Proulx, the insufferable bigot, is representative of these language paranoids, who once again ranted against the English on television, telling the whopper that 70% of stores in the Champlain Mall in south shore Brossard have English names. He was so confident that he promised that he'd cast his soul into a fire, if it wasn't true.
Of course it isn't true, not even close. Of Champlain Mall's 138 stores, only 19 store names (about 14%) can be categorized as English. Lucky for Mr. Proulx, that he doesn't have a soul to lose!
Monaco • Naturalizer • Only • Davids Tea • President Stone • Spring • Stylexchange • Jugo Juice • U.S.A.• Urban Planet • Sirens • Payless Shoesource • Polar Ice • Bell • Virgin Mobile • Trade Secrets • Subway • Forever XXI • The Children's Place.By the way, I did a little research in trying to ascertain if A&W or H&M and other store names that include an ampersand (&) are exclusively English. It seems that the 'esperluette' is proper French, but rarely used because it isn't much of a saving over the word it replaces- 'et', However, perfectly acceptable French!
Of course there are some stores that sport proper names that are clearly English, like Laura Secord or Bentley, but if Mr. Proulx chooses to include these as offensively English, he displays the same mentality as those enthusiastic attendees at the Wanasee Conference, where the Nazis met, way back when, to establish the definition of who was a Jew, in anticipation of designating those eligible for the Final Solution.
And by the way, even if he included the English proper names, it would only bring the total up to about 25%, a far cry from THE 70% figure he quotes.
As for the comments here's a taste of what is being said.
Note to readers;
All these comments were originally written in French and while I have translated them myself, it occurs to me that the finished product is far from perfect. Translation is not just about speaking the other language, it is an art form, of which I admit to being imperfect. Those of you who are bilingual know the pitfalls.
I humbly apologize for any imperfection. I promise readers that I didn't use Google Translate.
"....By the way, what will you do with IKEA? Van Houtte? Volkswagen? CIBC? HSBC? Aviva? With nonsense like this, one day Ontario will require Bombardier to change its name. Not too impressive!" -Jacques Famery from Joliette
--------------------------------------------------------------------------"As someone wrote earlier, what would we think of a country that would require the Cirque du Soleil, a brand known throughout the world, to change its name to The Circus of the Sun?
.... There are far more important topics, such as the French language of immigrants, and the fact that 50% of Quebeckers are functionally illiterate.
Another surreal debate, created over nothing on a completely non-existent problem..."- Michel Sylvestre de Mont-Royal
--------------------------------------------------------------------------"More small potatoes to discuss, offered to make us forget the immense traffic problems and the embarrassment that is the Ministry of Transport. Meant to lead us to believe that the government is doing something when the truth is that it is doing nothing as in the case of collusion/corruption in the construction industry. It's nothing more than a diversion."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------"This is for those Québécois who don't speak a word of English, just in case they go to Best Buy to buy groceries. I do not know one Québécois who doesn't know what Best Buy, Future Shop, or Canadian Tire sells? All this is just smoke and mirrors!" -Mitchell Begin, Montreal
--------------------------------------------------------------------------"Mr. Rioux, you write "It is not about the protection of the French language, but a plot to exterminate of all that is English."
What a relevant comment! Indeed, an Italian name, Portuguese or another is never targeted, only the English names. Paranoia against the English? Absolutely."- Marianne Longfield South Shore
--------------------------------------------------------------------------"This is nonsense. You can go to China, Germany, France or Mogadishu, companies do not change their name. Only in Quebec is there a mass anti-English hysteria. Hysteria based on the unfounded fear of assimilation. This assimilation is not real, French in Quebec is increasing. In Montreal, it's just a shift of French population to the suburbs. Elsewhere in Quebec, English is losing ground. Montreal is not Quebec.
Should Bombardier be called "Bomber" "bombardeo" or "bombefly" depending on where the products are exported?
Only in Quebec does an ex-FLQer bomb a Second-Cup store, just because it has an English name .... -Christian Rioux, --------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Does the restaurant "los tres amigos" need to be changed to "les trois amis", or is this rule exclusively for English names and not for other languages?" - Edgardo Nunez de MontrealAnd finally, for those who read French, these comments can't really be translated;
The OQLF does of course have its fans and Impératif français is one of its biggest boosters. The French language lobby recently complained that:"On pourrait changer le prénom des gens un coup parti... quelqu'un dont le prénom est Dan devrait automatiquement s'appeler Daniel, Micheal -->Michel, Andrew --> André, John James --> Jean.... Ah! Dans ce cas si c'est déja fait."- Louis Lachance de Québec City--------------------------------------------------------------------------"Donc, si on récapitule:Dunkin' Donuts = Beignets de DunkinCanadian Tire = Pneu CanadienLoblaws = Lois de LobHome Depot = Dépôt de maisonHome Hardware = Gugusses de maisonSecond Cup = Deuxième TasseSunlife = Vie de soleilWalmart = Marché de WalBell Canada = Cloche CanadienneNickels = Cinq cennesFuture Shop = Usine du futurBest Buy = Meilleur achatIkea = Débrouilles-toi !Brick = La briqueScores = Et compte!Red Lobster = Homard rougeGeneral Motor = Moteur généralEt finalement,iPad de Apple = iTablette de Pomme (mon favoris) :oD Patricya Lacerte, Laval
The organization went on to beseech Quebecers to deposit more complaints at the OQLF and gave instructions on how to do so, including where to go online to get a complaint form."Despite the decline of French over the last 20 years, which has actually accelerated in recent years, Impératif français observed a decline in the number of complaints filed with the OQLF as well as a decline in the number of complaints transferred to the Attorney General of Quebec for prosecution, to denounce disrespect of the fundamental language rights of Quebecers." LINK{FR}
Being a civic-minded sort of person, I decided to help out and so I filed my own complaint!!!
Argggghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!..............
